Congressman Conyers: Bad Intelligence

[cal04]

The New York Times had an editorial yesterday that I don't believe should be overlooked. In a piece entitled "Wanted: Scarier Intelligence," the Times addresses the Republican eagerness to exaggerate what is known about the threat posed by Iran. Of course, the Administration has a history here.


(I)n 2002, ... the administration engineered a deeply flawed document on Iraq that reshaped intelligence to fit President Bush’s policy. And history appeared to be repeating itself this week, when the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, released a garishly illustrated and luridly written document that is ostensibly dedicated to “helping the American people understand” that Iran’s fundamentalist regime and its nuclear ambitions pose a strategic threat to the United States.


I guess the obvious question for the New York Times is, where was this type of critical analysis when the paper had the chance to speak up in the runup to the war in Iraq? But kudos to the Times for spotting this deja vu moment.


If the Republicans who control Congress really wanted a full-scale assessment on the state of Iran’s weapons programs, they would have asked for one, rather than producing this brochure. The nation cannot afford to pay the price again for politicians’ bending intelligence or bullying the intelligence agencies to suit their ideology.


With the elections in the balance, we have seen the Administration try to scare the American people. Occasionally this comes in the form of threats from abroad. There are also efforts to scare people about a couple African-Americans that may be chosen to chair committees in Congress. I think what we have learned is that the American people are more scared of Republican control in Washington.

http://www.conyersblog.us/default.htm
links
Wanted: Scarier Intelligence
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/opinion/25fri1.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
House Outlook For 2006
http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/new-print-edition-house-outlook-for_25.html

[rodeodance]

1. yes, agreed---kudos to the Times for spotting this deja vu moment.

[glitch]

4. deja deja deja deja deja (trapped in a loop) vu. nt

[texpatriot2004]

2. Thank you Congressman Conyers nm

[bananarepublican]

3. k&r!

Is this all I have to do to recommend a posting?

Idiots like Hoekstra need to be called on their bullshit straight away. This reminds me of Hannity's and Santorum's claim that WMD had been found in Iraq.

Conyers is a national treasure.